The 3rd Birthday
The 3rd Birthday is the third video game installment in the ''Parasite Eve'' series, developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation Portable. It was released December 22, 2010 in Japan; March 29, 2011 in North America; and April 1, 2011 in Europe. It is also playable on PlayStation Vita. The 3rd Birthday is not a direct sequel to Parasite Eve and Parasite Eve II but a spiritual successor which is why Parasite Eve has been excluded from its title. The title actually references the third appearance of Aya Brea, the main protagonist of the video game series, and the significant changes for the design of the game compared to its predecessors. The title is also closely linked to the third birth of Aya with the Overdive system being referred to as a new form of mitochondria power. Plot On December 24, 2012, at 5:00PM, New York City was torn apart by a strange organic structure that emerged from underground, which was later dubbed the "Babel". Two years before, man-eating creatures called the "Twisted" had been sighted, but they mostly stayed underground and out of sight until the Babel raised to the surface. After the Babel had risen, masses of Twisted slaughtered many people in the city. 3,000,000 people were killed by the monsters, New York City was completely shut down, evacuated, and became a dystopia, and the United States of America fell into peril. Humanity was on the verge of extinction. In the winter of 2010, the Counter Twisted Investigation (CTI) was formed by the American government to save humanity from annihilation. Chapter 0: Sacrifice :Operation Rainbow Dust :Chelsea, W. 18th & 10th :December 24th, 2012 One year later, members of the CTI prepared to send Aya Brea's conscience back to December 24, 2012, the day the Babel emerged, by using the Overdive system. She was tasked with aiding the National Guards during the Sacrifice Incident; a campaign that was planned in order to destroy the Big Orb, which was thought to be the very core and "heart" of the Babel, but ended in many casualties. Once within the body of a National Guard, Aya, guided by Hyde Bohr, Thelonious Cray, and Blank, helped the guards take out many of the Twisted, although men were still killed like before. At one point, Aya was separated from the troops in an attack, and was found by a Reaper. However, before it could get her, she was sent back to the present day. Chapter 1: A Brave New World :Operation Rainbow Dust :Club Sacrifice :December 24th, 2012 Having returned to 2013, Aya awoke in her cell at the CTI headquarters from a dream; a vision of her shooting a girl with a face of a Twisted, which she had been seeing since she had lost her memory. At the same time, Hyde visited her to tell her that the boss of CTI, Hunter Owen, and the FBI branch had disappeared, and that she was no longer under their observation. Shortly after, Aya was sent back to December 24, 2012, via Overdive to Club Sacrifice, a concert venue where Twisted attacked mid-performance. After helping fight back the Helix, Aya went with the National Guards to save civilians, and destroy Twisted and orbs. During the search, Aya encountered a survivor, but the girl triggered a vision similar to her dream of a blonde girl who looks like Aya. At that moment, the Babel grew and changed, causing earthquakes, and Aya lost sight of the survivor. After finding a wounded woman in the backrooms of the club, Aya had a flashback to October 3, 2013 of Gabrielle Monsigny dying in her arms. Back in 2012, Aya saw the girl with the Twisted's face and followed her, but ended up having to out-run a Reaper and lost her. After killing the Helix outside the club, Aya went back inside and found the survivor from before, and Blank identified her as Emily Jefferson. Emily told her that she had to remember about Time Zero, before turning into a giant Twisted. After destroying the Twisted, Aya awoke back in her cell in December 24, 2013. Hyde arrived to tell her that Cray had been killed and she was going to be sent back three days previous to save him. However, Hunter Owen was with him and said they wouldn't be allowed to perform that kind of mission. He then tried to shoot Aya, but Hyde talked him out of it. The men then left the cell to talk elsewhere, as Owen said Aya was like one of the Twisted. Chapter 2: The Lost Soul :Operation Black Storm :Spanish Harlem :December 21st, 2013 A couple of hours later, Aya was about to be sent back three days to infiltrate the Babel at the Spanish Harlem, destroy the Big Orb, and save Cray. Although the team was going to follow Owen's orders to destroy the Orb at the same time, Blank knew that he really wanted the organization of the CTI to fall apart so he could return to his real post at the FBI, and didn't really believe that the past can be changed. To take Cray's place during the operation, Owen and Hyde appointed Gabrielle Monsigny to help guide Aya while she was one campaign. Since she last saw Gabrielle dead on October 3, about three months previous, seeing the woman alive was a big shock to Aya, but chose not to say anything. Using Overdive, Aya was sent back to December 21, 2013, and proceeded to help the SWAT team that was going to attack the Babel, and then locate and Overdive into Gabrielle who was on mission at that day. While taking down Twisted with the SWAT team, a Rover appeared. Although it managed to capture everyone in its paralyzing light, including Aya, Gabrielle arrived overhead in a helicopter and stunned the Rover with her sniper rifle, giving Aya the chance to Overdive into Gabrielle and kill the Rover. Afterward, Aya jumped back into a SWAT member, and heard over the earpiece that it was Hyde that convinced Owen to letting them help Cray. Proceeded on her mission, Aya helped take down masses of Stinkers and other Twisted, and lots of Orbs located around the Babel. She dived into the Babel, and found the Queen within. After taking it down, the Babel fall apart and sank into the ground once more. Aya dived back out of the Babel in time, and found Cray, wounded but alive. However, when Aya tried to contact Hyde, Owen picked up and told her that they had lost Gabrielle's signal. Following Owen's orders, Aya located the area where Gabrielle's signal was lost, but couldn't find her. By the present day, Owen had used sleeping gas on Hyde, Blank and Gabrielle to knock them out, and had actually lead Aya to her death. Gabrielle had turned into a large, flying Twisted and begin attacking Aya. After seriously wounding the Twisted, Aya Overdived in and tried to save Gabrielle, but it was too late and Gabrielle disappeared. Back in the present day, Gabrielle came around and tried to kill Owen, but since she had already died three days previous, she disappeared into nothing. Still in the past, some of Aya's memories of her family return, and she remembers that the blonde girl from her dream was her little sister Eve. She sees a vision of Eve, but Aya began to panic when Eve went to a man she didn't recognize. Although the man knew Aya, she threatened to shoot him if he didn't let Eve go. Eve disappeared again, and the man told Aya that Eve is dead, and was now just a soul who wanders through the gaps of time. As the world started to change and Aya returned to the present, the man told her to meet him at "the Babel in the red fog" and his name: Kyle Madigan. Chapter 3: Against the World :Operation Red Fog :Grand Central :January 7th, 2013 Several weeks later Aya was sent into Grand Central Station to destroy the Big Orb, however Cray was displeased with this as they try to send Aya in the warzone alone and storms off. As Aya Overdives into a solider she is told to meet up with Captain Russo who was a friend of Cray's. As Aya goes deeper into the Station, she hears transmissions from Russo's team that they see a girl with a face of a Twisted (similar to Aya's dream), as Aya proceed to the rendezvous point, Hyde says that he briefly checked the files and found no information on Eve. Finally after the battle with the Twisted on the rendezvous point, Aya sees Eve inside the Big Orb, but back in the CTI Headquarters, Blank says that Aya is seeing "the possibility of Eve's existence", but just after she sees Eve, a solider who is Cray shows himself and says that he killed Russo and the rest of the team to see Isabella(Cray's daughter), then Cray goes into the Big Orb and Aya also does. In Cray's mind he disappears but says to Aya that if you want to see Eve, then that's all that matters, then Cray disappears. In the present day, Blank runs to Cray who is on top of the CTI building. Cray then says that it was inevitable then disappears while Blank rushes to save Cray. Blank is too late but then says "What am I doing here?" as he looks at the huge Babel. Meanwhile, in the past, Aya tries to convince Eve to come with her, and as she does, Kyle suddenly appears in front of her. Kyle asks her if she remembers now, but suddenly the world starts changing. She then realizes that they're pulling her out (Ascending), but before she's pulled out, Aya begs Kyle to help Eve. When she was pulled out, Kyle tells her not to worry, and that he'll "save their little princess" and says "Good Night, Aya." Chapter 4: The Moment of Truth :Operation Blue Hail :North Shallows Tower :February 15th, 2014 Several months later, Aya is now living with Kunihiko Maeda to stop the Babel in the North Shallows Tower. The reason for this is because in December 25th, CTI was destroyed by Kyle Madigan and all the CTI staff killed and Hyde Bohr was missing. Maeda said that the North Shallows Tower mission was about to begin in which soldiers would place C4 on the tower floors and destroy the Babel, but as a last resort will try and make a nuclear strike. Aya Overdives into Alpha team position where using tanks Aya Overdives to kill a Huge Worm blocking the entrance to the Babel. As Aya goes up the tower, Maeda says theories on the Twisted and on the mission itself. When Aya finishes planting all C4s, Aya and the rest of the soldiers gets trapped by the Twisted but thankfully a helicopter that saved Aya during the mission loses control and creates an exit, Aya then Overdives into the helicopter pilot seen outside the exit and a sky battle issues with the Spitters. After taking out the Spitters, Maeda says he's found Kyle and says he is on the top tier of the tower, so Aya goes up to the top tier where she meets Kyle. However Kyle tries to flirt with Aya before Aya shots away from Kyle. Kyle then transforms into a huge Twisted and a battle issues. During the battle, High One Kyle averts his attention to the choppers assisting Aya (possibly because of the Real Kyle's feelings for Aya). After a lengthy battle, Aya defeats High One Kyle, but suddenly she hears the Real Kyle's voice and it pleads with her to finish the battle as he doesn't want to hurt her. When she does, she remembers memories from her past and remembers that she and Kyle were going to be married and that she turned her gun on Eve when they were attacked, which makes her think if she did or didn't shoot Eve. She is suddenly transported back to the top tier of the tower, and sees a dying Kyle. Kyle tells her that he was trying to protect her but the Twisted took him over. Kyle tells her that he found "it". He then leaves a cryptic message saying that "Eternity is inside of you." and dies. As Aya cries over Kyle's dead body, the Babels suddenly merge into one massive Babel dubbed as "The Grand Babel". Chapter 5: Counterattack :Operation Scarlet Snow :Lower Manhattan :February 16th, 2014 Kunihiko Maeda finally figures out that the "Grand Babel" is like a huge Overdive system, Aya now needs to go to the Grand Babel, the Twisted stronghold. Maeda also uses a satellite camera to find Hyde near the Grand Babel. Aya, robbed of everything she loves and held dear, Overdives into a soldier and goes into the Grand Babel. Aya fights countless Twisted to get to the Big Orb. Maeda also says that Hyde is killing countless Twisted. As Aya continues onto the Big Orb, Aya encounters a Reaper and fights it by breaking its shell then finally killing it. Aya finally reaches the Big Orb and gets to Hyde. Hyde then says that he is in a loop and for him to stop the cycle is to go back to the Mother. Aya also says to Hyde why he pitted Aya to the High Ones, Hyde says that in order to create the Grand Babel itself he needed countless killings and the deaths of the High Ones in order for the Grand Babel to go to Time Zero. Aya finally fights against Hyde for a grueling battle. After the battle, Hyde opens the portal to Time Zero. Chapter 6: Eternity :To Time Zero :Rockefeller Center and Saint Thomas Church :December 24th, 2010 Hyde leaves Aya with the Queen and a battle ensues. Aya then finds Hyde at Rockefeller Center's ice skating rink. Hyde says he is trying to go to the Mother and become an advanced human. Aya tells Hyde to not touch Eve, and another fight with Hyde occurs. However, during the fight, Hyde could also Overdive, after Aya's first loss against Hyde. Cray, Blank, Gabrielle and Kyle appear and cheer Aya to stop Hyde. Kyle also tells Aya he loves her. Aya and Hyde fight again, then Aya Overdives into Hyde's psyche. Aya and Hyde issue one last battle, a battle with each other's psyche. As Aya Overdives into Hyde, Aya is then transported to Time Zero, the birthplace of the Twisted and the High Ones. Time Zero is revealed to be the wedding of Aya Brea and Kyle Madigan at Saint Thomas Church. As they are about to exchange vows, a paramilitary group emerges and open fire, shooting all those within with the exception of Eve Brea. Eve, desperate to save Aya awakens her power and Overdives into Aya's body which destroys Aya's soul to create the twisted. She awakens with amnesia but is soon greeted by Hyde who managed to survive and Overdive into himself. Hyde reveals that while Eve's consciousness is transferred into Aya, her body deteriorates and create the High Ones in the people around her. He then tells Eve of his plan to stop the cycle by fusing with her to create an even more evolved species to annihilate both human and twisted. Eve vehemently refuses this upon learning it will involve the death of the ones she loved, but is subdued by Hyde who quickly gets shot by Aya, whose soul seem to have returned. With defiance at Hyde, Aya finish him with few more shots. Unfortunately, the events cannot be prevented if the sources are not removed. Aya then states her regrets about not being able to exchange vows with Kyle, then requests that Eve shoot her to prevent the Twisted. After an emotional moment, Eve Overdives into Aya's body while Aya Overdives into Eve's. The sisters then enjoy a last moment before Eve, the new Aya Brea shoots. After hearing Kyle's disembodied voice, Eve finds him alive and well. Aya's voice then gives Eve some final words of encouragement accompanied with a light, before a new timeline is created. One in which Eve's physical form never existed nor Aya's soul. The scene switches back to the wedding. As Kyle is about to marry Aya Brea who is now Eve, he chuckles and tells Eve to be strong and independent about her own life, and that he and Aya will watch over her. He then states that he is on a quest to find eternity (Aya), and wishes Eve a happy birthday before storming out of the church. The scene then shifts 4 years forward, in the post credits. Eve who is living Aya Brea's life in her body walks down a snow filled street. As she catch a snow flake, a taller woman with the same hair style and voice as the real Aya Brea comes by and wishes her a happy fourth birthday. Whether or not this is Aya is left ambiguous for the audience. The 3rd Birthday Insider Translations of "Unfolded Story" (Translated by Odin89 of GameFAQs.) Q: Why does Aya get back memories about Eve every time she defeats a High One? A: She gets Eve's memories back contacting the High Ones' mind with her OD skill. Q: After defeating Cray, how did Aya go to Maeda's hideout? A: There's a blank space between episode 3 and 4, untold in the game. After history was modified, Aya woke up somewhere in New York. After that, Aya had the fated encounter with Maeda, and got the determination to fight the Twisted together with him in place of the destroyed CTI. Maeda always kept an eye on Aya, so it wasn't really a coincidence that both could meet. Q: In the scene where Aya has a conversation with Kyle after abandoning the body she used Overdive on (episode 2-4), does Kyle see Aya's appearance? A: As they're in the same line at the time of the Overdive (an extension of time-space), they can both see each other. Q: What's the reason of Aya coming back from the Overdive investigation on December 24th, 2013? A: When a High One dies, the time axis plane goes through an important change. As the Overdive investigation itself becomes a safe point of the new time axis, she's sent back to moments before entering the OD unit, before the investigation starts. Q: When Aya returned to the present in episode 3, did she witness the rest of CTI members getting massacred? A: As those memories would be too much to endure, the scene wasn't depicted during the game, it was treated as "lost time". Just try to imagine what it would feel like to be in a solitary world without any of your memories, having lost the people you considered a family, and the only ones that required your help. The sheer imagination would be more powerful than showing it. Q: Why can Hyde go back in time? Does the Grand Babel form up in every parallel world? A: Hyde is the integrated form of the High Ones. He's a being trapped in the cycle of time, so he doesn't go back at his own will. Rather, he gets sent back forcefully when the High Ones are eliminated. The Grand Babel was necessary for going back to a point previous to the start of the cycle. He was for the first time successful at its creation by using Aya and the Twisted, that's what this story is about. Q: Why is Eve sometimes seen as a Twisted? A: The true identity of "Eve's Phantom" is Eve's physical body having lost its mind. You could call it a "wanderer of time", searching for her scattered pieces of mind (memories). She's only a "possibility" based on an uncertain past, her existence isn't stable. That's why there are instances when she disappears or is seen as a Twisted. Q: Why wasn't the battle against Awakened Cray shown in the game? A: Because Aya activated her OD skill when Cray's awakening was incomplete. She doesn't get to know the identity of who she killed. Q: During the last scene, can Kyle see Aya? A: Not her physical body, it implies he senses her wish and hope. Q: In the world where Aya doesn't exist, does history adapt so that she died during an accident? A: At the end, Aya changed time in a special way. Time didn't just revert back, a new time axis started (absent of Aya's mind and Eve's body). In exchange of breaking the laws of causality, Aya's mind disappeared from all space-time, while Eve's mind was protected. (Although the voice heard at the end of a 2nd playthrough is a mystery of the new time.) History of that particular universe did change so that Eve Brea didn't exist. Q: Why was Hyde the only one inside the church during the wedding ceremony besides the family relatives? A: Back then, Hyde was close to both Aya and Kyle. He was a protector-like figure at work and outside of it, that's why he was invited. Q: When did Aya get back her memories about Maeda? A: Technically, the Aya from The 3rd Birthday doesn't have a past where she had known Maeda, so she doesn't have memories from him. She had to rely on the fragments of memories acquired from the physical body and files Maeda left like "Investigation regarding Aya". Q: What made it possible for the Twisted to originate? A: Fragments from Aya's mind scatter in the future and use the people of that time as a medium to be born. Q: Why was Maeda in front of the wedding ceremony? A: I guess his "Aya antenna" reacted and was attracted to the church (laugh). It may have been Maeda's way of blessing them. Q: What's the meaning of the light that appears when Aya and Eve hug? A: It's a kind of Overdive. Thanks to Aya, their minds can be exchanged back calmly. Q: Why do the dead members from CTI appear during the battle against Hyde? A: At the last location, Aya's memories add up with the memories from the dead. Aya wished for them to appear so their memories were called to that place. The "Aya" during this time has incomplete memories. Emily wasn't considered a close person to her, that's why she didn't appear in her memories. Q: When a High One takes over a person, does it keep memories of the body or consciousness at all? A: There's a period of time where the personality is kept in a lethargic state. But at the end, the memories remain while the mind of the Twisted combines with that of the High One. Even if the memories remain, the consciousness and personality do not. From a human point of view, they become "tainted by evil". Q: After defeating Awakened Hyde, why does he appear back in "Time Zero"? A: Being a High One, normally one can't go back to a point previous to its birth, as it would cause contradictions. Hyde calls this "the wall of time". In order to surpass that wall, Hyde (as a High One) dies once and remains hidden inside Eve's memories as a kind of data, as Eve has an Overdive ability superior to his. Q: Gabrielle and the others being present at the wedding means that they knew each other previously? A: Prior to the foundation of the CTI, Hyde, Gabrielle and Cray were already close to Aya, while Emily was close to Eve. (in Blank's case, its after the foundation of the CTI) Q: Why did Kyle ultimately leave the church after the wedding? A: Kyle is a normal human, he doesn't have knowledge of everything going around him. However, during the new time axis, he notices there's something strange about Aya. As a way to not hurt Eve, he confesses his true feelings to her before the kiss. Q: Who is the armored group that intruded in? A: There are many forces and conspiracy regarding Aya's powers. The group's identity is a national secret, they aren't allowed to say. Q: Hyde says "Aya didn't really shoot you" (literally, Aya having shot you is a lie), but what is the truth? A: Hyde says the truth. The memories gotten back during the story were incomplete, twisted so to say. The regret of "I killed her during Overdive" turned into "I shot her". But it doesn't mean the flashback during episode 5 is a lie either, as Aya's shot was aimed at the attacker, not Eve. Q: When talking to those who turned into High Ones, there's a location covered in a red sea and white roads. Where is it and what is it called? A: It's located in the space-time crevice. It's called the "Overdive Space". Q: Aya moving after saying "it's already been destroyed" means it revived thanks to her willpower? A: Yes, Aya's mind is broken down to a point beyond reparation, moments before being ruined. It was joined back together thanks to her shocking willpower during "Time Zero". Q: Why was Blank astonished at seeing the Grand Babel after Cray vanished? A: At first glance, it may look like the Babel swarm is reduced after history changes, but actually the opposite happens right after that (the unification of Babel and the Grand Babel appearing). Blank was left speechless at the abnormalities it brought. Q: How were Aya and Maeda able to meet again? A: Because Maeda's "Aya radar" is perfect (laugh). Seriously now, there are people inside the CTI that have connections with Maeda too. (could be a single person, Japanese isn't always clear regarding singular/plural) The inevitable encounter happened after the massacre of the CTI. However, you could say Maeda's protection towards Aya was a part of Blank's plan. Gameplay The gameplay consists of a typical third person shooter formula. Aya has the ability to lock onto enemies immediately instead of free shooting. She has an array of guns to use which can be upgraded and made stronger by experience points. Her brand new power consists of a system called Overdive which allows her to swap places and control the bodies of nearby CTI members. She can also target Twisted and command all CTI members in the vicinity to crossfire. Damaging Twisted fills a red bar called Liberation. When it is full, Aya can unleash "Liberate" and deal massive damage to enemies. Reception The 3rd Birthday has received mixed views from fans and critics alike. Generally, it has a been regarded as a great PSP game, utilizing the PSP's graphical and hardware capabilities, with enthralling gameplay and music. The gameplay and graphics were met with positive reviews. On the other end, it has been regarded as a subpar Parasite Eve installment, most notably for a storyline which can be seen as muddled and convoluted without motivation and connection, as well as its character development of Aya. Almost all of the science-fiction contents from the series are removed in favor of more "fantasy" elements such as time traveling, paradoxes, consciousness-swapping and multiple dimensions. For example, the explanation behind the Twisted creatures are that they are "fragments of Aya's subconsciousness", though the game never clarifies anything beyond that, leading to suspension of disbelief. Aya's character in The 3rd Birthday has been criticized for her fragile and "sexualized" nature which effectively made Aya into a sex symbol. Some examples of this are her clothes tearing off revealing much of her skin, a graphic shower scene, and a "secret camera" which focuses on her buttocks. In combat, Aya is often seen on her last legs, frequently gasping in pain, crying, moaning, and stumbling over easily whenever being knocked down by an enemy, and even having painful difficulty combating with her powers. In the story itself, Aya has a very quiet and submissive personality, especially towards Hyde Bohr and Hunter Owen. This was a major change from the modest, but strong and enduring character of the first game. Although Aya's meek nature is explained by the end of the game, many fans felt that it wasn't a necessary turn because the game marked Aya's first appearance after a period of absence of over 10 years. Music Yoko Shimomura, the music composer from the first Parasite Eve, is back as a composer, along with Tsuyoshi Sekito and Mitsuto Suzuki. The main theme song is "Eyes On Me" performed by Superfly. Twisted Edition A special edition of The 3rd Birthday, called The 3rd Birthday: Twisted Edition was released alongside the standard version of the game. As well as the game (with a new box cover), the Twisted Edition also includes: *Two lithograph art prints of Aya Brea. *A "CTI Confidential" art book, featuring CGI images, character renders, and concept illustrations. *A PlayStation Network code for a 50% discount on Final Fantasy II in the PlayStation Store. *A PlayStation Network code to download Aya's default costume for Lightning to wear in Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy. External links * [http://www.the3rdbirthdaygame.com/ The 3rd Birthday European site] * [http://na.square-enix.com/the3rdbirthday/ The 3rd Birthday North American site] * [http://www.square-enix.co.jp/3rd_birthday/ The 3rd Birthday Japanese site] * [http://blog.jp.square-enix.com/3rd_birthday/ The 3rd Birthday blog] * PlayStation Store Videos The 3rd Birthday Gamescom 2010 Trailer|Trailer Parasite Eve 3 "Wedding" Trailer|Bloody wedding trailer 3rd Birthday TGS trailer|TGS trailer The 3rd Birthday Special Version Trailer English version|Trailer The 3rd Birthday Launch Trailer (PSP)|Trailer Category:Games Category:The 3rd Birthday